National Museum of Crime & Punishment
Encyclopedia
The National Museum of Crime & Punishment is a privately owned museum dedicated to the history of criminology
and penology
in the United States
. It is located in the Penn Quarter
neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
, half a block south of the Gallery Place station. The museum, which opened in May 2008, was built by Orlando
businessman John Morgan in partnership with John Walsh
, host of America's Most Wanted
, at a cost of US$ 21 million. Unlike most museums in Washington, DC, the National Museum of Crime & Punishment is a for-profit enterprise.
More than 700 artifacts in 28000 square feet (2,601.3 m²) of exhibition space relate the history of crime and the consequences of crime in America and in American popular culture. The museum features exhibits on colonial crime, pirates, Wild West outlaws, gangsters, the Mob, mass murderers, and white collar criminals. Twenty-eight interactive stations include the high-speed police chase simulators used in the training of law enforcement officers, and a Firearms Training Simulator (F.A.T.S.) similar to that utilized by the FBI
.
The museum includes a mock police station with a booking room, celebrity mug shots, police line-up, lie detector test, prisoners' art and self-created devices for injury and escape, and a re-creation of the jail cell of Al Capone
at the Eastern State Penitentiary
in Philadelphia. A capital punishment room offers a re-creation of a guillotine
and gas chamber
, along with an authentic lethal injection machine from the state prison
in Smyrna, Delaware
, and an electric chair from the Tennessee State Prison
in Nashville
which was used for 125 executions.
The crime-fighting gallery draws attention to such notables as founding FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover
and the legendary law enforcement agent Eliot Ness
. It also includes the uniforms, firearms, and restraining equipment of law enforcement officers, as well as exhibits on bomb squad and night vision technologies.
, a long-running (1988–present) television series that dramatizes unsolved crimes. The television program has led to the capture of more than 1,000 fugitives (16 from the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
) due to the crime tips that are reported by the public when criminals are profiled. Surrounding the studio are exhibits on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
and McGruff the Crime Dog
, as well as a Cross Match Technologies station for child finger printing.
Criminology
Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in both the individual and in society...
and penology
Penology
Penology is a section of criminology that deals with the philosophy and practice of various societies in their attempts to repress criminal activities, and satisfy public opinion via an appropriate treatment regime for persons convicted of criminal offenses.The Oxford English Dictionary defines...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located in the Penn Quarter
Penn Quarter, Washington, D.C.
Penn Quarter is a neighborhood in the East End of Downtown Washington, D.C. north of Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. Its boundaries are not well established, but they appear to extend to 5th and 10th streets NW on the east and west, and approximately H Street on the north where Penn Quarter abuts or...
neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, half a block south of the Gallery Place station. The museum, which opened in May 2008, was built by Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
businessman John Morgan in partnership with John Walsh
John Walsh
John Edward Walsh is an American television personality, criminal investigator, human and victim rights advocate and formerly the host, as well as creator, of America's Most Wanted...
, host of America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
, at a cost of US$ 21 million. Unlike most museums in Washington, DC, the National Museum of Crime & Punishment is a for-profit enterprise.
More than 700 artifacts in 28000 square feet (2,601.3 m²) of exhibition space relate the history of crime and the consequences of crime in America and in American popular culture. The museum features exhibits on colonial crime, pirates, Wild West outlaws, gangsters, the Mob, mass murderers, and white collar criminals. Twenty-eight interactive stations include the high-speed police chase simulators used in the training of law enforcement officers, and a Firearms Training Simulator (F.A.T.S.) similar to that utilized by the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
.
The galleries
The main floor is devoted to a staged crime scene investigation where a murder has taken place. Visitors to the museum are guided through the process of solving the crime through forensic science techniques, including ballistics, blood analysis, finger printing and foot printing, and dental and facial reconstruction.The museum includes a mock police station with a booking room, celebrity mug shots, police line-up, lie detector test, prisoners' art and self-created devices for injury and escape, and a re-creation of the jail cell of Al Capone
Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
at the Eastern State Penitentiary
Eastern State Penitentiary
The Eastern State Penitentiary is a former American prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is located on 2027 Fairmount Avenue between Corinthian Avenue and North 22nd Street in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia and was operational from 1829 until 1971...
in Philadelphia. A capital punishment room offers a re-creation of a guillotine
Guillotine
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
and gas chamber
Gas chamber
A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. The most commonly used poisonous agent is hydrogen cyanide; carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide have also been used...
, along with an authentic lethal injection machine from the state prison
Delaware Correctional Center
The James T. Vaughn Correctional Center , formerly the Delaware Correctional Center , is a state prison for men in unincorporated New Castle County, Delaware, USA, near Smyrna. It is the Delaware Department of Corrections's largest correctional facility for adult males.JTVCC houses some 2,500...
in Smyrna, Delaware
Smyrna, Delaware
Smyrna is a town in Kent and New Castle counties in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is part of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, and an electric chair from the Tennessee State Prison
Tennessee State Prison
Tennessee State Prison is a former correctional facility located near downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Opened in 1898, the prison has been closed since 1992. It has been the location for the films Nashville, Marie, Ernest Goes to Jail, Against the Wall, The Green Mile, The Last Castle and Pillar's...
in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
which was used for 125 executions.
The crime-fighting gallery draws attention to such notables as founding FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover
J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...
and the legendary law enforcement agent Eliot Ness
Eliot Ness
Eliot Ness was an American Prohibition agent, famous for his efforts to enforce Prohibition in Chicago, Illinois, and the leader of a legendary team of law enforcement agents nicknamed The Untouchables.- Early life :...
. It also includes the uniforms, firearms, and restraining equipment of law enforcement officers, as well as exhibits on bomb squad and night vision technologies.
America's Most Wanted studio
The museum also serves as the television studio for America's Most WantedAmerica's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
, a long-running (1988–present) television series that dramatizes unsolved crimes. The television program has led to the capture of more than 1,000 fugitives (16 from the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
The FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list arose from a conversation held in late 1949 between J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, and William Kinsey Hutchinson, International News Service Editor-in-Chief, who were discussing ways to promote capture of the...
) due to the crime tips that are reported by the public when criminals are profiled. Surrounding the studio are exhibits on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is a private, non-profit organization established in 1984 by the United States Congress.-Establishment and overview:...
and McGruff the Crime Dog
McGruff the Crime Dog
McGruff the Crime Dog is an anthropomorphic cartoon bloodhound created by Saatchi & Saatchi through the Ad Council for the National Crime Prevention Council for use by American police in building crime awareness among children. He debuted in July 1980. The character was created by John Young. The...
, as well as a Cross Match Technologies station for child finger printing.